When water meters are installed or exchanged, it is often convenient or necessary to utilize a “resetter” to position the meter in a desired location (frequently above the position of the service pipes feeding the water user from the subterranean water main) or in a desired orientation. It is also frequently necessary to accommodate a meter of a different size than the original meter. Examples of such resetters are shown in Zorb, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,727, Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,788, Hunt, U.S. Pat. No. 7,281,545, and Cimberio et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,297. Sets of similar resetters have been used which accommodate different meters, as shown for example in A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Co.'s resetters, shown at www.aymcdonald.com and in its catalog “Copper Meter Resetters 11/12.” It is also sometimes desirable to provide a tap in the resetter, in order to mount a sampling valve or other accessory. An example of such an arrangement is the Kupferle MainGuard™ Model 94WM. All of the references mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
All of these prior arrangements are somewhat cumbersome and expensive. Most require a separate device for each installation, custom made for a particular length and pipe size of the meter, for a particular orientation and positioning of the meter within a meter box, and for particular possible accessories. Such devices typically include a casting having axially aligned connections for the inlet pipe from the water main (often called the city or street side) and outlet pipe to the consumer (often called the house side), and axially aligned fittings for connection to the inlet and outlet of the meter. Two curved pipes, often called “horns,” are soldered, brazed, or otherwise firmly and permanently fixed to the casting's fittings. The free ends of the horns have flared ends which retain nuts that are threaded onto male threaded fittings on the meter.